These Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings are quick and easy to make. These wings are drizzled in melted butter, garlic, and fresh lemon juice. This is the perfect weeknight meal!
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When it comes to chicken wings, I truly have found my niche. I love every single flavor. You may also love my Hot Lemon Pepper Wings recipe.
What Type of Wings to Use
I love to use party wings that are already split as opposed to whole chicken wings. Party wings will cook at a more even temperature. Feel free to use whole chicken wings if you like.
How to Get Lemon Flavor
You will need to use a quality lemon pepper seasoning to actually add flavor to the meat. I also love the Lemon Garlic Seasoning from Trader Joe’s.
You will bread the chicken with lemon pepper seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and all-purpose flour. From there you will bake or air fry to get them crisp.
Then combine lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, and garlic powder in a saucepan until melted. Drizzle the mixture over the chicken and bake or air fry again.
How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Exact measurements and full detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Season the chicken with flour, lemon pepper seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Bake or air fry.
- Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic powder.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is incorporated.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle the wings in the lemon butter sauce.
- Bake or air fry.
How to Substitute Flour
You can use 1-2 tablespoons of baking powder (enough to fully coat the chicken). You can also omit flour completely and make naked chicken wings.
How to Reheat
I reheated these chicken wings over the next couple of days in the air fryer for 4 minutes on 400 degrees. Test to see that the chicken is warm in order to determine the optimal time that will work for you.
You can reheat them in the oven on 350 degrees until warm.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze leftover chicken tightly sealed for a few months. Defrost overnight or reheat the chicken frozen.
More Dry Rub Chicken Wings Recipes
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Naked Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
How to Grill Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Turkey Wings
Traeger Smoked Chicken Wings
Cajun Chicken Wings
Sauced and Flavored Chicken Wing Recipes
Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Mango Habanero Chicken Wings
Crispy Ranch Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Honey BBQ Wings
Thai Chili Chicken Wings
Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Garlic Parmesan Wings
Keto Low Carb Chicken Wings (Maple BBQ)
Pair These Wings With These Recipes
Southern Macaroni Salad
Lemon Pepper Fish
Southern Coleslaw Recipe
Air Fryer Hush Puppies
Southern Potato Salad
Easy Spaghetti Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Slow Cooker Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Honey Hot Wings
You may also enjoy our Lemon Pepper Shrimp and Lemon Pepper Steak.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings I use drummettes.
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- cooking oil spray I use olive oil.
Lemon Pepper Glaze
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Oven and Baking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Pat the chicken dry and place it on a large bowl or plastic bag.
- Add the flour, lemon pepper seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt to the chicken. Ensure the chicken is fully coated.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and add the wings. Spritz the chicken wings with cooking oil.
- Bake the wings for 20 minutes and then open and flip the wings. Spritz with cooking oil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic powder.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is incorporated.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle the wings in the lemon butter sauce. Ensure all of the chicken is coated, if not, each wing won't have the lemon pepper. Add additional lemon juice if necessary to fully coat.
- Return the chicken to the oven. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and place it on a large bowl or plastic bag.
- Add the flour, lemon pepper seasoning, and salt to the chicken. Ensure the chicken is fully coated.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket. Spritz the chicken with cooking oil.
- Air fry for 15 minutes on 400 degrees.
- Open the air fryer and flip the chicken. Spritz the chicken with cooking oil. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic powder.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is incorporated.
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer and drizzle it with the lemon butter sauce. Ensure all of the chicken is coated, if not, each wing won't have the lemon pepper. Add additional lemon juice if necessary to fully coat.
- Return the chicken to the air fryer. Air fry for an additional 3-4 minutes on 400 degrees.
Notes
- I like to put the wings back into the oven or the air fryer after drizzling the lemon butter sauce so that it soaks into the skin of the chicken. You can wait to do this step immediately upon serving the wings if you wish. This also helps if you’re finding some wings do not have lemon flavor (because they weren’t properly drizzled), you can drizzle them with juice once fully cooked.
- If you are having trouble spraying the wings with oil because of the flour, you can allow them to cook for about 5 minutes and then spritz the oil. The will prevent the breading from coming off.
- To make this recipe low carb you can swap the all-purpose flour for baking powder. I usually only use a tablespoon of baking powder.
- You can use actual wings (instead of drums and flats) if you wish, you may need to adjust the amount of ingredients needed to fully coat your wings.
Katherine Carver
Friday 18th of August 2023
These were fantastic even without breading! Loved the sauce that wasn’t to lemon forward! We also made lemon/ranch wings when we followed this recipe and added ranch seasoning!
staysnatched
Saturday 19th of August 2023
I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Iris
Saturday 8th of July 2023
What brand of baking powder do you use so there is no metallic taste?
staysnatched
Saturday 8th of July 2023
Trader Joe's. But anything aluminum free shouldn't have a metallic taste.
Sydney
Saturday 24th of December 2022
Your wings never disappoint I have made three different recipes for the family today and all were a hit.
staysnatched
Saturday 24th of December 2022
Yay! So glad to hear it!
Tori
Monday 19th of September 2022
I made these wings for a little dinner party where each guest was tasked with bringing a special sauce/seasoning mixture and at the end we would all decide which wing was best - no surprise, but my Stay Snatched lemon pepper wings won of course! Everyone asked for her recipe for future use so I directed them to her site. Couldn't have loved them more!
staysnatched
Monday 19th of September 2022
Thanks for sharing it with them!
Hattie
Monday 15th of August 2022
These HIT!! With any of Brandi's wing recipes I know I'm in for a treat. I've loved every single one I've tried and this one is fighting for the top spot. Made these on the grill this time instead of the air fryer (was making Brandi's sweet potato fries!), putting them back on after saucing like it says in the notes and it was perfection.
staysnatched
Tuesday 16th of August 2022
Wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed them!